Since the late '90s, amateur animators have been drawing cartoon shorts for their online followings, uncensored by the traditional confines of the professional television world. With no FCC regulations, studio notes, or network deadlines, these artistic pioneers of internet culture were free to express their unhinged and demented ideas in animated form to their heart's content; and express they did.

Websites such as Newgrounds and the early days of YouTube were abundant with scratchy and offensive shorts, created by anyone who was willing to have their ideas seen by the world (or at least a very obscure corner of the internet.) Two such animators, Zach Hadel, known as the online alias psychicpebbles, as well as Michael Cusack are veteran cartoonists, each getting their start through posting works of their own creations online, and meeting through their existing knowledge of one another's animations. Though it wouldn't be the first time Hadel would helm an attempt at taking a collaborative work to television, his partnership with Cusack would see the two taking their distinct brand of animation, including internet references, deceptively innocent designs, and absurdist dark humor, officially to Adult Swim with Smiling Friends.

Sketchy at Best

The show was initially conceptualized via a series of sketches by the creators, with characters being hand-drawn on a whim while ideas for what the cartoon would become were still being tossed around. It was while Cusack, based in Melbourne, Australia, was visiting Hadel in California during 2017 that the duo hashed out their official pitch over dinner at a local fried chicken restaurant.

Related: Adult Swim Brings Back Pibby for April Fools' Day Broadcast

The idea for the cartoon, as stated by Hadel in an interview with Animation Magazine, would be to base it around "a group of lovable characters, with a simple kind of concept, which we could take anywhere we wanted to." With the structure cemented, the final product would revolve around the exploits of two employees named Charlie and Pim (voiced by Hadel and Cusack, respectively) who work their 9 to 5 as "Smiling Friends," a business designed solely around making people smile.

Smiling Friends headquarters
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

The show's pilot, released in April 2020, would go on to be the most viewed episode of any show on Adult Swim's website. The airing was highly praised by those familiar with both of the creators' previous work and new fans tuning in through word of mouth. In May 2021, Adult Swim would respond to all the positive feedback by announcing their plans for a full season to be produced. It was clear the channel had a new hit on its hands, and this time it wasn't from any established Hollywood showrunners, but from two online animators who knew they had struck gold.

Can't Say That on TV

With both Hadel and Cusack coming from a background of raunchy cartoon parodies and corrupted comedy, it seemed well suited for them to find their home on Adult Swim, whose history with animated projects would be what many describe as "experimental." However, despite having relatively looser restrictions (being a late night block), television still comes with much less freedom than an independently made animation project online. Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack regale their history of network censorship in a clip from The Create Unknown Podcast below:

Though the network would pluck some of the more risqué ideas from the show, it luckily never came too much to the detriment of the finished product. Critics adored it, with many gushing to how the cartoon brought a style of humor not yet fully tapped into by the mainstream, that of which appealed to many a wicked mind. Fast-paced humor with blink-and-you'll-miss-it visual gags complimented the whiplash of characters in a fantastical world speaking in generic, mundane idle conversation. In many ways, the program is exactly the kind of thing you'd see online, just with much more of a budget.

Calling the Shots

Though Smiling Friends' first season is estimated by its co-creator Zach Hadel to have had the budget of a singular episode of Family Guy, what the duo and their team were able to accomplish via the somewhat restricted means was nonetheless impressive. The cartoon was animated frame-by-frame, with sprinkles of mixed-media animation throughout.

Related: Teenage Euthanasia Renewed for Season 2 at Adult Swim

Both Cusack and Hadel took part in every process of production for the hit series, including animating, producing, writing, editing, and providing lead voices. For the duo, working overtime to ensure their idea came to life was a necessity, and bringing on other talented animators and friends to provide assistance was just the cherry on top.

Charlie and Pim watch TV in Smiling Friends
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Years of experience in heading their own personal projects online had taught both Cusack and Hadel the ins and outs of each part of the process, which made it all the more natural a position for them both to take in leading each aspect of the show. A jarring thing in a slow-moving industry, with some noting how those without a traditional television background could put in more effort and determination than perhaps the old hands at work on various other mainstream productions. The passion from the younger, less accomplished creators is palpable.

Leave Them Smiling

Every once in a while, a show comes out that manages to push its own medium in a direction yet unseen, whether it be in style of writing, animation, or cultural significance, though rarely is it all three. While Smiling Friends is a simplistic episodic comedy on the outside, it manages to capture something important underneath its jittering characters and flashing colors. What it represents is the story of two oddball animators who were capable of coming together with all their combined experience from a lifetime of exposure to not only the internet, but to television, and seeing first hand how the voice of one medium could still be translated to the other.

Charlie and Pim shirtless
Warner Bros. Television Distribution

While many of Smiling Friends' biggest influences come from other television shows, such as utilizing Seinfeld's famous "no hugging no learning" rule, it's without a doubt that Cusack and Hadel carry with them a love for the obscure, cringe-inducing deep corners of the web. Easter eggs in the form of clips from real YouTube videos are used, as well as cameo performances by notable internet celebrities, helping the show come even closer to its online roots, serving as a wink to fans who have followed the duo's work and have seen their expressions of enjoyment towards the subject matter.

Though many would consider television to be in the process of phasing out due to the rising popularity of internet and streaming services alike, Smiling Friends dares to remind us that both mediums don't have to contradict, but rather can compliment one another. With a second season currently in the works, the success of the show finds the career paths of Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack altogether unmatched, with humble beginnings leading to the creation of a massive television network hit. Fueled by equal parts artistic vision and love for the deep, forgotten recesses of online media, the team behind Smiling Friends have ushered in a new voice for television, and that's enough to make us all smile.